2 Best Foreign Registration Services in Virginia (2026): Who to Hire
Who should you hire in Virginia for foreign registration services in 2026: we say Mainstay Filing ($199) and VA Registered Agent.org ($199), ranked best first. State fee: $100. Service fees over three years: $397 to $497.
By the LLC Answered editorial team
The brief reply
Short reply
Price to register
$100
Certificate of good standing?
Yes (365 days or newer)
What comes next
$50, annual registration fee
Hire in this order
Mainstay Filing then VA Registered Agent.org
Virginia: our answer
Prices are from each company's own pricing. See how we decide.
#1First choice
1. Mainstay Filing: best for registering in many states
$199 to register, $149 for the agent after
Hire Mainstay Filing in Virginia: you pay $199 plus Virginia's fee, skip the registered agent charge in year one and then pay $149 a year.
Is it the smaller bill? No. VA Registered Agent.org costs $100 less over three years, but it works in Virginia only.
The registered agent renews at $149 a year in every state.
What is bundled
Your foreign filing
Registered agent, included for year one
Priced identically in any state
Pluses
Any state, one fee
The first agent year is covered
Service fee $199
Downsides
Renewal $50 above VA Registered Agent.org
#2Virginia choice
2. VA Registered Agent.org: best for one extra state
$199 to register, $99 for the agent after
VA Registered Agent.org is number 2, because its service fees reach $397 over three years.
What is bundled
Foreign filing submitted
Year-one agent service
Pluses
Low $99 renewal
A free agent year at the start
Service fee $199
Downsides
One-state service
Compared in a table
#
Service
First year
Renews at
Cost over 3 years
Included
1
Mainstay Filing
$199
$149/yr
$497
your foreign filing; registered agent, included for year one; priced identically in any state
Over three years the state's total is $200. scc.virginia.gov | October 2026 | verified
What gets submitted?
One filing, the Application for Certificate of Registration to Transact Business in Virginia as a Foreign Limited Liability Company (LLC1052), goes to the Virginia State Corporation Commission, Office of the Clerk.
Include with it certified copy of articles of organization and all amendments issued within the last 365 days.
What do I owe once registered?
$50 for the annual registration fee.
Watch for this date: last day of your registration month.
Why this order?
Paperwork covered, worth 29%, put Mainstay Filing first.
The two heavy tests are three-year price (36%) and paperwork covered (29%); three lighter tests follow.
Two states, one provider: that is why it is first.
The bottom line adds up the filing fee, the reports for years two and three and the minimum tax if there is one. A cost with no set price, like a newspaper notice, is left out of the sum.
A few more
Is one agent enough for both states?
Each state applies its own rule, so your home state still needs an agent. A provider active in every state, such as Mainstay Filing, covers both.
After three years, what has each cost?
Mainstay Filing $497; VA Registered Agent.org $397, with state fees on top.
What is behind the figures?
Fees set by the state come from Virginia's own publications; what services charge comes from their published prices.
Can I skip hiring one?
Hiring is optional. The law asks for a filing, not for a filer.
Who submits the registration?
All of them do, at the identical state fee.
What is the best foreign registration service for Virginia?
Mainstay Filing leads because registration is $199, and nothing is billed for the registered agent until year two; VA Registered Agent.org come next.